What do you make at home to SAVE MONEY?

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24

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  • yourenotmine
    yourenotmine Posts: 645 Member
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    I suddenly feel so much better about the $140 I spent at Whole Foods yesterday. *phew*
  • gayje
    gayje Posts: 230 Member
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    Oh yeah--forgot about that...coffee, coffee creamer, sweetener, etc can easily add up to $30 in a month.

    :laugh: I feel HORRIBLE! We go through $20 of coffee beans a week! Man I wish it was only $30 a month lol...I make all our coffee at home as well as all our fav recipes of big coffee name brand drinks at home too. Iced Vanilla Latte, Strawberry Frap's (add your whey protein and you have an awesome after workout protein drink that's also delish). I make a lot of fish and crock pot cook anytime I can. Also, leftovers from a Sunday dinner can be Mondays lunch at work ;-)

    Our grocery bill for the month for a family of 5 is $600, and that IS spoiling the kids with some of the junk they want. Not a lot 'cause I'm a Sugar Nazi, but SOME.
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
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    I make homemade:
    *breads & buns
    *muffins
    *donuts & bagels
    *cookies & cakes
    *salads (pasta, fruit, green, etc)
    *dressings
    *pasta, depending on the type
    *sauces
    *soups
    *chilis
    *flatbread
    *sometimes, cheese

    We also make all our own cleaning supplies - dish soap, laundry soap, glass cleaner, floor cleaner, etc.

    flatbread--do tell! cheese--tell that too!


    I don't really have a recipe, just mix things up for the flatbread, but both of these are recipes I've recommended to other people:

    http://whisksandwhimsy.com/2012/08/30/simple-flatbread/

    http://kirantarun.com/food/2012/08/17/broccoli-potato-paratha/

    As for cheese, you'd probably be best off to look up how to make either mozzarella or quark to start with, but you can buy cheese-making kits that will walk you through more advanced cheeses. Cottage cheese is really easy, as well.
  • rustybago
    rustybago Posts: 15
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    If you have a crockpot you can make your own yogurt at a significant savings. If you strain it well the consistency gets thick like greek yogurt and you can use the reserved whey in smoothies and soups. And it's super easy to do, so that's a bonus.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I budget $400 a month for food and household items (TP, PT, bottled water, etc) I eat breakfast at home and lunch at home. Most nights I also make dinner at home. It's just me - no kiddies or SOs. I eat fish, beef, chicken,
    lots of fruit, etc., etc.

    I usually have money left over at the end of the month.

    One thing I did was to keep a spending journal for three months to see exactly what I spent and was able to reduce my expenditure to 150/week, but that was tough for me so I made the choice to add back in the extra $50
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I budget $400 a month for food and household items (TP, PT, bottled water, etc) I eat breakfast at home and lunch at home. Most nights I also make dinner at home. It's just me - no kiddies or SOs. I eat fish, beef, chicken,
    lots of fruit, etc., etc.

    I usually have money left over at the end of the month.

    One thing I did was to keep a spending journal for three months to see exactly what I spent and was able to reduce my expenditure to 150/week, but that was tough for me so I made the choice to add back in the extra $50

    I'm confused...150/week is 600 a month but you said you spend $400 a month.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    What ON EARTH are you buying that is costing you $700/mo???? If you give me an example of what you would put in your grocery cart, and I can help you find cheaper ways to have the same thing.

    I typed it out in an earlier post.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I make my own frozen dinners. It's just as easy to make 2 lasagnas as it is to make one - I freeze the 2nd one for a busy night. I do the same with chicken spaghetti.

    Buy whole chickens at .77/# (my local grocer runs that sale every 2-3 months). Sprinkle with s&p, stuff with lemons, onions, & thyme, roast until done. Chop chicken, freeze in individual portions for salads, soups, tacos, enchiladas, sandwiches, ect. Save the roasted bones with veggie scraps - onion skins/tops/bottoms, carrot tops & peels, herb stems, celery roots, ect - in a bag in the freezer. Boil down for stock when full, strain, & freeze. Seafood stock: fish bones & shrimp heads/peels. Beef stock: beef bones, gristle, & fat.

    My new favorite breakfast costs .47/serving - 2 ingredient pancakes. Mash one banana, add 2 beaten eggs, cook in a non-stick greased pan. 265 calories for the whole batch, 15g protein.

    Shop your circulars, & shop what's in season. Sprout's Farmers Market is awesome if you have one close; they run at least 2-3 hormone/antibiotic-free proteins for super cheap every week. This week, we're getting salmon for $4.99/#. That's a treat for us because it's more expensive than our usual protein choices, but it's a great price for salmon.

    Invest in a set of Tupperware and use it to pack your own lunches & snacks.

    Make your own microwave popcorn with a paper lunch sack and 2-3 tbsp of kernels. Fold the bag closed 3-4 times, leaving plenty of room for the popcorn to expand. Cook as usual. (This saves ALOT of $ over traditional microwave popcorn!)

    Another of local grocer, HEB, runs "meal deals." If you buy 1 or 2 ingredients, you get 4-6 other items free. I combine these offers with coupons and save even more money.

    Last but not least, check out poorgirleatswell.com. That chick is a treasuretrove of information, healthy recipes, & money saving tips.

    Those pancakes sound bomb.com but bananas make me itch. I wonder whether I could do that with a different fruit. I also do the popcorn thing. Salmon is 10-15 bucks a pound here...ALWAYS. Sucks! Thanks for the website! I'll check that out.
  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
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    do some bulk shopping. ALSO, when you shop your adds and find a great deal buy double what you will need and freeze it. I shop my ads when I go in the store and buy what is on sale for the week.
    We are lucky with a big freezer, so even if fruits and vegies are higher than I want to pay I usually can get a good deal on frozen, just have a smoothie instead or keep some one hand.
    I would check around for a few stores though and see if you can better deal elsewhere. That seems really high, I spend a lot because I do childcare and am home every meal, but, I find I can get a better deal at walmart than sams club on almost all things including a low cal chicken sausage that is fantastic!
    I will pay extra for the sara lee breads, I like the 45 calorie, the flat bagals, the 80 calorie buns and the skinny girl flat breads :)
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    I tried to look at your food diary to see what your meals "look" like but it was locked. Anyway maybe you need to meal plan for a week at a time.

    If you want to spend 500$ a month take 125$ and figure out what you want to eat that week and buy only the groceries needed for the recipies and only the amount of protein powder, fruits/veggies needed for the week etc

    Maybe try a different grocery store? I know in my city some stores charge double the price for everything. So I've found 2 that are lower cost and that helps too.

    Buy in bulk when things are on sale and freeze when you can (bread) or make big batches of meals in crock pot and freeze for quick "frozen dinners" shop at local farmers markets or look in the discount bins for things that are close to expiry that you can use before they go bad (can save 50% + on things this way) with protein powder buy bigger tubs since it works out cheaper that way, go to GNC when they have the buy one get one 1/2 price deal (I do this for my Vega)

    Use frozen veggies and fruits if need be to cut cost and these work well for soups and such or smoothies/desserts and much less work than fresh.
  • Rachaelluvszipped
    Rachaelluvszipped Posts: 768 Member
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    Omg...$700 on yourself in groceries??? OMW! I have a family of 6...in it I have 5 adults and a 5 yr old...we pay around $500-600 a month in groceries...

    make small batches for yourself and freeze below..I make tons and freeze for those days I don't feel like cooking or thinking..haha!

    Casseroles,
    Spaghetti
    meatballs(for subs or spaghetti)
    ziploc bag with marinade for individual pieces of meat
    Stews
    mini pot pies
    Corn dog muffins
    chili
    Soups
    burritos
    quesadillas
    tons of stuff you can pre make and freeze ahead for anytime to nuke...
  • Nina2503
    Nina2503 Posts: 172 Member
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    Ok prepare to correct ,me but I am from the UK and I have just calculated what $700 is in GBP and that is a HUGE amount of money for one person

    $700 is approx GBP £437 - is food excceptionally expensive in the US?

    MY OH and I spend around £300 a month on a big month (where we need to replace laungry products etc) in the UK and I believe from speaking to others here that even that is a rather a lot, we eat free range or organic meat and fresh food and that includes everything, including cleaning products/branded toiletries etc we eat very well.

    Can I ask what do you spend it on?
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    I tried to look at your food diary to see what your meals "look" like but it was locked. Anyway maybe you need to meal plan for a week at a time.

    If you want to spend 500$ a month take 125$ and figure out what you want to eat that week and buy only the groceries needed for the recipies and only the amount of protein powder, fruits/veggies needed for the week etc

    Maybe try a different grocery store? I know in my city some stores charge double the price for everything. So I've found 2 that are lower cost and that helps too.

    Buy in bulk when things are on sale and freeze when you can (bread) or make big batches of meals in crock pot and freeze for quick "frozen dinners" shop at local farmers markets or look in the discount bins for things that are close to expiry that you can use before they go bad (can save 50% + on things this way) with protein powder buy bigger tubs since it works out cheaper that way, go to GNC when they have the buy one get one 1/2 price deal (I do this for my Vega)

    Use frozen veggies and fruits if need be to cut cost and these work well for soups and such or smoothies/desserts and much less work than fresh.

    Yeah, I don't have a car so I am at the mercy of the local grocery store but this is changing soon! ::happy dance:: I have a friend who offered to do a standing shopping date and then i can go to costco which will likely reduce my food costs by ~$200 at least.
  • enid42
    enid42 Posts: 21 Member
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    I try not to imagine how much we spend. Here's the essentials.

    3 adults here
    coffee 1.5lbs week
    creamer 3 containers
    milk
    almond milk
    tortillas
    cheese sliced
    cheese grated
    sprouts
    salsa
    2 bunches broccoli
    1 cauliflower
    3lb onions
    5 yellow and red bell peppers (we eat those in meals and snacks)
    pistachios
    crackers
    kiwis
    grapes
    cherries
    bananas
    apples
    5lbs spinach
    3 avocados
    box quinoa
    box cous cous
    4lbs chicken breast
    2lbs lean ground turkey
    steak
    fish
    eggs
    greek yogurt
    marinades for meat
    a few frozen meals for backups
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    In OP's defense, when I lived in Manhattan, my grocery bill was easily 30% higher. Not as much choice of grocers and no room in the apartments to store bulk purchases. Just moving to the burbs made a tremendous difference.
  • JenniferNoll
    JenniferNoll Posts: 367 Member
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    I make my own pretty much everything. I make yogurt, jams, jellies, salsas (fruit and tomato), chutneys, hot sauce, pickles (egg, mushroom, cucumber, etc.), breads of all kinds, soap, soups, pizza, pasta and pizza sauces, pie fillings, and I grow most of my own produce. What produce I don't grow and can and freeze, I buy in bulk "bumps and bruises" boxes from the local grocery much, much cheaper. It's a bit more work, but I make these things in large batches. I made enough spaghetti sauce to last a year a week ago, and enough salsa for a year a couple of days ago.

    People have forgotten how to make their own foods and believe that making things like jam or bread is incredibly time-consuming or difficult. It really isn't, but you do have to do the research to find out how. I get a lot of my recipes by google. If I've bought 50 pounds of mangos, I just google mango recipes and I make mango chutney, mango salsa, and mango jam. Not only do I have my own goodies, but Christmas gifts are taken care of as well.

    None of this is really hard at all. Just takes a little time.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
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    In OP's defense, when I lived in Manhattan, my grocery bill was easily 30% higher. Not as much choice of grocers and no room in the apartments to store bulk purchases. Just moving to the burbs made a tremendous difference.

    Exactly--when I'm in CA i can EASILY cut my grocery bill LITERALLY in half! with some effort I can get buy on 400-500 here. I'm going to try to challenge myself to eat as cheaply as possible!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
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    Well, I am not going to post what my husband and I spend on groceries, and we only eat about 14-16 of our 21 meals at home. (Of course, what I spend at the grocery store and costco is also items that last longer than a month and all household cleaners).

    I have started really watching what I can buy in larger containers for the week and subdivide.. like greek yogurt and fat free cream cheese.

    I am working on reducing the cost of eating healthy by getting smarter about such things and planning more. I really like this thread.
  • NGMama
    NGMama Posts: 384 Member
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    I really like this thread too. We spend a lot of our budget on produce. We have to be gluten free and dairy free in this house so we eat very little pre-made grain products. If I buy it, it's at least 3x the cost. I'm carving out more and more time for baking for school lunches. After reading this I feel inspired to learn how to can!
  • cole_carter
    cole_carter Posts: 174 Member
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    Okay, my $700 food bill per month (no eating out and just me) is pretty ridiculous. I'm looking for ways to make it cheaper...also to get others thinking about ways to save money!

    So, what do you make at home instead of buying premade?

    Some ideas:
    -homemade tabbouleh ($5 for 4-5 cups vs. $3.50 for 6oz...that's a huge savings)
    -homemade hummus ($2-3 for 1.5 cups vs. $3-4 for 6oz)

    Brown rice; Almond butter on whole grain bread; Oatmeal; Hummus; Smoothies made with "Gold Standard protein whey" plus a banana and some frozen fruit (Strawberries, blueberries, peach, etc); Salad; Tofu; apples All healthy and inexpensive. I especially like the almond butter on whole grain bread for lunch. I have it almost every day.

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